Bulletin board



J. GREENHUT BULLETIN BOARD Dec. 21, 1954 Original Filed April 28, 1950INVENTOR JAMES GREENE-1H1 BY Wwmvey United States Patent BULLETIN BOARDJames Greenhut, Lake View, N. Y.

Substituted for abandoned application Serial No. 158,899,

April 28, 1950. This application March 15, 1954, Serial No. 416,307

2 Claims. (Cl. 40-125) This invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in signs or bulletin boards, particularly the type havingremovable and interchangeable letters arranged in tiers.

One object of the invention is to provide in such a sign a plurality oftiers of letter supports each quickly and easily securable to andremovable from the sign.

Another object of the invention is to form each said support so that aplurality of letters can readily be secured thereto side by side withoutthe use of fastening devices.

Still another object of the invention is to construct the sign so thatthe several tiers of letter supports are removable from the sign as aunit.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of atranslucent screen as a backing for the sign, such screen being adaptedto diffuse the light of a lamp placed behind the sign to illuminate theletters thereof.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects andadvantages thereof, reference will be had to the following descriptionand accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which thevarious povgl features of the invention are more particularly set ort Inthe accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the sign of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the sign.

Fig. 3 is a front, partly broken away, view of the several tiers ofremovable letters removed from the sign as a. unit.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

5 is a fragmentary sectional view on line 55 of Fig. 6 is a fragmentaryperspective view of one of the supporting shelves for the letters.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the letters.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view on line 8-8 of Fig. lwhich illustrates the manner in which the sign cover is hinged.

The sign, according to the present invention, includes a pair of heavymetal foot pieces 10 having near their forward ends, the upwardextensions 11. The forward vertical edges of the upward extensions 11are inclined slightly rearward. Each of the foot pieces 10 also has itsforward edge tapered downward as at 12 for a reason to be describedhereinafter. Secured to the foot pieces 10 with the rear edge thereofabutting the inclined edges of extensions 11 so that it extends upwardat a slight rearward inclination is a rectangular sheet metal angle barframe 13, see also Figs. 4 and 5, to the inner face of the rear wall ofwhich is cemented a translucent plastic sheet 14. The frame 13 and sheet14 form a shallow rectangular box-like receptacle. Hinged to the frame13 as at 15 in Fig. 8 is another frame 16 identical therewith butoppositely disposed so that the edges of the perimetral flanges of thetwo frames abut one another. Cemented to the inner face of the forwardwall of frame 16 is a transparent glass or plastic sheet 17, the sheetand the frame forming a second shallow rectangular boxlikereceptacle,which with that formed by frame 13 and sheet 14 forms a boxin which the information illustrated by the sign is mounted.

Access to said box is gained by pivoting frame 16 on its hinges 15. Tothis end, said frame is provided at its upper end with a knob 18. InFig. 2 the open position of frame 16 is illustrated in dot and dashlines, such position it will be noted is a substantial angle above thehorizontal to protect the transparent sheet 17. It is to this end thatthe forward edges of the foot pieces 10 are tapered at 12, such tapersacting as limit stops for the lower edge of frame 16.

Referring now to Figs. 3, 4 and 5, the lettered information illustratedby the sign is supported in tiers in a rectangular frame 20 comprisingedging bars 21 secured together by corner angle brackets 22. The frame20 is of such size that it fits snugly into the box formed by frames 13and 16, and can readily be placed therein or removed therefrom. Frame 20also includes a pair of vertical bars 23 one at either side thereof,said bars being secured to the inner vertical faces of the anglebrackets 22, so that a space 24 is provided between each such bar andthe adjacent bar 21. Each of the bars 23 has therein, referringparticularly to Figs. 4 and 5, a plurality of vertically spaced cutouts25 each having its upper edge extended to the forward edge of the bar23, but having its lower edge formed with an abrupt rise whose upperedge is extended to the edge of the bar. Thus the cutouts 25 are formedeach with a mouth 26 having its lower edge raised above that of thecutout. Each cutout in a bar 23 is, of course, aligned vertically with acutout in the other bar.

Adapted to each pair of aligned cutouts 25 is a letter supporting shelf27, see Figs. 4, 5 and 6, said shelf comprising a sheet metal channelhaving its side walls folded inwardly toward one another as at 28, andthen downwardly into the channel at opposite inclinations as at 30, suchthat the lower edges are substantially in contact with one another. Thusthe portions 30 form a resilient gripper to secure in place an articleplaced therebetween. Each shelf 27 is of such dimensions that it willpass through the mouths 26 of an aligned pair of slots 25 and will fitsnugly in the cutouts. It will be noted that once the shelf 27 is seatedin the cutouts 25 the same cannot accidentally be displaced, but canreadily be removed by moving the same upward to clear the lower edges ofthe mouths 26 of said cutouts.

The letters 31 supported by shelves 27, see Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7,preferably are formed of a dark-colored plastic and each is formed witha base 32 of the same thickness as the letter. The construction is suchthat to insert a letter in place on one of the shelves 27, the base 32thereof is pressed down between the gripper portions 30 of the shelfuntil the lower edge of said base abuts the lower Wall of the shelfchannel. Then the letter is securely held in place. To remove the letterone merely pulls the same free of said grippers 30.

It is contemplated by the invention that the sign be placed in front ofa source of illumination which will be diffused by the translucent sheet14, the dark letters then becoming more clearly visible through thetransparent sheet 17.

It will be seen, therefore, that the invention provides for an improvedsign or billboard which utilizes removable letters arranged in tiers,the construction being such that each letter is removable individually,each tier of letters is removable as a unit, and all of the severaltiers of letters are removable as one unit.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of myinvention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to theprecise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to allchanges and modifications coming within the scope of the invention asdefined in the appended claims.

This is a substitute application for my previous application filed April28, 1950 under Serial No. 158,899, now abandoned.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by'United States Letters Patent, 1s:

1. In a sign of the class described having a removable frame in which asign is supported, a box in which the frame is loosely mounted, footpieces to support said box in an upright slightly rearwardly inclinedposition, each foot piece having its forward edge tapered downward, saidbox including a pair of like oppositely disposed angle bar frames, therear one secured to said foot pieces and the front one hinged at itslower end to the rear one thereof, pivotal movements of said front framebeing limited by the lower edge thereof contacting the tapered ends ofsaid foot pieces, a translucent sheet secured to the rear frame andforming the rear side of the box, and a transparent sheet secured to thefront frame and forming the front side of the box, said removable framecomprising a pair of flat side bars spaced from the sides of the box,each bar having therein a plurality of cut-outs for supporting the endsof a plurality of letter supporting shelves.

2. In a sign of the class described having a removable frame in which asign is supported, a box in which the frame is loosely mounted, footpieces to support said box in an upright slightly rearwardly inclinedposition, each foot piece having its forward edge tapered downward,

said box including a pair of like oppositely disposed angle bar frames,positioned with the perimetral flanges contacting one another the rearone secured to said foot pieces and the front one hinged at its lowerend to the rear one thereof, pivotal movements of said front frame beinglimited by the lower edge thereof contacting the tapered ends of saidfoot pieces, a translucent sheet secured to the rear frame and formingthe rear side of the box, and a transparent sheet secured to the frontframe and forming the front side of the box, said removable framecomprising a pair of fiat side bars spaced from the sides of the box,each bar having therein a plurality of cut-outs for supporting the endsof a plurality of lettersupporting shelves.

No references cited.

